Gideon's Bakehouse Pitched Disney Five Spinoff Concepts, and the One That Won Soft Opens Monday at Disney Springs

On July 20, two weeks before Monday, the Walt Disney World website posted operating hours for Six Ravens, and the day came and went with the doors still shut behind temporary hedges. This time the date is coming from Six Ravens itself. The savory spinoff from the team behind Gideon's Bakehouse soft opens at 10:00 AM on Monday, August 3.

Quick facts: Six Ravens sits in the former Art of Shaving storefront in The Landing, a few doors down from Gideon's Bakehouse. It is a quick service location built around the Coffyn, a stuffed yeast roll whose name, the menu notes, was the original term for hand pie. Seven Coffyns are listed at $10.99 each, though only six will be available on Monday.

Five concepts went to Disney. This one came back.

Behind Monday's opening is a longer story about how Six Ravens exists at all. Gideon's Bakehouse owner Steve Lewis told the Orlando Sentinel that the bakery itself was always going to stay fixed in place.

"I knew I couldn't grow it," Lewis said. "To branch out, to let things expand into the world would ruin its sense of exclusivity and community."

The workaround was to spin off the lore rather than the shop. "We started thinking about what a development path would look like, and the answer was simple: Gideon's is filled with characters and lore," Lewis told the Sentinel. "Some of those little creatures could be set free into the world to become their own thing."

His team built five sister concepts and presented them to Disney. Per the Sentinel, Six Ravens was the one that best filled the grab-and-go need, and that is the project that moved forward.

Lewis frames the whole thing as a local-business showcase. "From the outset, the concept of Six Ravens has been about paying it forward," he told the paper. The Sentinel notes that Gideon's own break at Disney Springs came when Orlando chefs James and Julie Petrakis, the owners of The Polite Pig, put the chocolate chip cookie on their secret menu.

Coffyns are stuffed yeast rolls rather than pie crust, and each one is paired with its own dipping sauce. Photo: Six Ravens via WDW News Today

A yeast roll with a steakhouse origin story

The Coffyn took a couple of years to land on. "At first, it was a pie crust, but it felt too traditional," Lewis told the Sentinel. "Eventually, we found ourselves moving toward a soft, stuffed yeast roll, inspired by a childhood love I had for the big, fat yeast roll at Quincy's [Family SteakHouse]."

Several menu items were developed with other Central Florida restaurants, and on the posted menu those partners appear mainly in the dipping sauce paired with each Coffyn. For this opening round the Sentinel lists Red Panda Noodle, Pizza Bruno, Smoke & Donuts, Pink Salamander and Papi's Burritos, the last of which is a small breakfast burrito spot that neighbors the original Gideon's stall at East End Market. The beer list pulls from Ravenous Pig Brewing Co., Sideward Brewing Co. and Crooked Can.

One Coffyn is sitting Monday out. WDW News Today reports that much of the previously announced menu is expected at the soft opening with the exception of The Rooster's Roar, the bacon, egg and cheese breakfast Coffyn, which arrives later. Blog Mickey reports that Six Ravens said on Instagram it wants time to find its footing before adding breakfast service.

Tale Teller Tatties, the baked smashed potatoes, are $8.66 and come with the honey mustard the menu calls Realm Famous. Photo: Six Ravens via WDW News Today

Lewis jokes to the Sentinel that the entire operation exists to showcase his Realm Famous honey mustard, a recipe he came up with two decades ago. Dessert is currently a party of one: The Tart's Tempest, a Gideon's chocolate chip tart with chocolate fudge and raspberry jam, at $7.66. More are planned, some with local bakeries.

What to expect on Monday

Soft opening is the operative phrase. Hours, menu availability and other aspects of the experience may be limited or subject to change. The Sentinel reports that plans are in place for a virtual queue, the same as at Gideon's Bakehouse, with staffers on hand to place guests in the queue on a first-come, first-served basis as they arrive. "You'll get to explore the many offerings of Disney Springs while you wait," Lewis said. Blog Mickey likewise expects an in-person virtual queue rather than a traditional standby line.

Expect a tight space. The Sentinel reports that Six Ravens is even smaller than Gideon's other location, and darker. Lewis calls the new shop "A true escape from the sunshine of our burning world." He calls the concept small and simple: "Coffyns. Potatoes. Beer. Dessert."

Sources

• Orlando Sentinel, Six Ravens, a new brand from Gideon's Bakehouse, soft opens Monday at Disney Springs
• WDW News Today, Six Ravens Soft Opening at Disney Springs Tomorrow
• Blog Mickey, Six Ravens to Soft Open August 3rd at Disney Springs

Image credits: storefront photo via WDW News Today; food photography from Six Ravens via WDW News Today.